With homegrown hops, of course, the initial estimate for alpha acid is always a swag. It's best to brew a style where IBUs don't matter so much. I always say, you should shoot for a pale ale -- then if it's too bitter, call it IPA, and if not bitter enough, then call it a blonde or amber ale. After that initial batch, you can refine the alpha acid estimate on subsequent batches based on the taste of the first one or two, so that by the third and fourth batch, your refined estimate is literally within about 0.2 to 0.3 percent of the actual alpha acid, which to me seems close enough. But we digress......